Lessons of the "Fake Moon Flight" Myth (corrosive media culture alert)

The Skeptical Enquirer ^ | March, 2003 | James Oberg

[atomic conspiracy]

Depending on the opinion polls, there's a core of Apollo moon flight disbelievers within the United States--perhaps 10 percent of the population, and up to twice as large in specific demographic groups. Overseas the results are similar, fanned by local attitudes toward the U.S. in general and technology in particular. Some religious fundamentalists--Hare Krishna cultists and some extreme Islamic mullahs, for example--declare the theological impossibility of human trips to other worlds in space.

Resentment of American cultural and political dominance clearly fuels other "disbelievers," including those political groups who had been hoping for a different outcome to the Space Race--for example, many Cuban schools, both in Cuba and where Cuban schoolteachers were loaned, such as Sandinista Nicaragua, taught their students that Apollo was a fraud.

Like a counter-culture heresy, the "moon hoax" theme had been lingering beyond the fringes of mainstream society for decades. A self-published pamphlet here, or a "B-grade" science fiction movie there, or a radio talk show guest over there--for many years it all looked like a shriveling leftover of the original human inability to accept the reality of revolutionary changes.

But in the last ten years, an entirely new wave of hoax theories have appeared--on cable TV, on the Internet, via self-publishing, and through other "alternative" publication methods. These methods are the result of technological progress that Apollo symbolized, now ironically fueling the arguments against one of the greatest technological achievements in human history.

[atomic conspiracy]

To the best of my knowledge, KJTV in Lubbock, Texas, was the only Fox affiliate to publicly repudiate the network's loathesome Moon Hoax show when it aired in 2001, even though all affiliates were free to do so. KJTV did not refuse to air it, since this would have allowed luddite conspira-liars to scream "censorship", but the station did give me and another spaceflight advocate a chance to rebut many of the show's claims during a news segment that aired immediately after the program. The moon-hoax shlock-umentary, actually entitled Conspiracy Theory: Did We Go to the Moon? was a product of Nash Entertainment, better known for Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire? and similar toxic waste.

There is good evidence that comedian and legendary Hollywood insider Richard Belzer, a confirmed and quite serious conspiracy nut, was involved in giving the moon-hoaxers breakthrough access to the big media, which I think is a telling commentary on the general mental state of the pop-culture industry.

[Izzy Dunne]

perhaps 10 percent of the population,

Yeah, right. Also, 10% of the population is gay, according to some poll or other, way back when.
Maybe it's the same 10 percent?

[netmilsmom]

I remember watching this show with my sister and niece. "Hmmmm", they said, "I wonder".
I laughed my a$$ off.
I gave them three "facts" from the show and directions to Google.
I love pulling off that tin-foil hat and having people see reality!

[Tennessee_Bob]

My father was involved in the Apollo program. As a young boy, I had the great honor to meet Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Jim Irwin. I don't think they lied to me.

[netmilsmom]

Yeah, right. Also, 10% of the population is gay, according to some poll or other, way back when.
Maybe it's the same 10 percent?

---

WOW! My sister is gay (see post 3).
I think you're on to something.....

[martin_fierro]

Tinfoil bodystocking engaged.

[martin_fierro]

Ooooh!

[RightWhale]

Oberg intends to complete the project, which if anybody can it is he, but convincing 600 million people--the goal of the project--will probably occur after rather than before the Second Coming.

[per loin]

I find it hard to believe that anyone still falls for the fake moon hoax, as its been several decades since the Modern Language Association proved that the moon was a myth, invented by the Romantic poets, and foisted on other cultures by ours.

[tbpiper]

Worked on Apollos 16, 17 @ KSC as a co-op in college. A fake moon program would have been harder to pull off than a actual landing.

[capitan_refugio]

It may be "hard to believe," but the ignorant are everywhere.

[LanPB01]

"There is good evidence that comedian and legendary Hollywood insider Richard Belzer, a confirmed and quite serious conspiracy nut, was involved in giving the moon-hoaxers breakthrough access to the big media . . ."

Belzer's conspiracy book is hilarious. I'm not even sure how much of it was meant to be funny, and how much he was dead serious about. Doesn't matter, I highly recommend it for a good laugh.

[Eastbound]

FYI

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[MikeD]

James Oberg rocks. He's got a number of books about the Soviet/Russian space program and uncovered the truth about dead cosmonauts in the 50s & 60s (yes, one died, but not during a flight).

MD

[atomic conspiracy]

I think my best point when I rebutted the show involved the claim that the Apollo lander should have left a huge crater in the lunar regolith. I pointed that if this small rocket engine could dig a huge hole in a few seconds, excavating companies would long since have replaced backhoes and such with surplus rocket motors.

One of the scariest and most pathetic reactions I encountered came from a pre-med student who had seen both the show and my rebuttal. She said she believed the hoax claim because "we talked about in my anatomy class and the instructor thought it made a lot of sense, and he's a professor; and my boyfriend is a photographer and he said the stuff about the pictures made sense, so there." I pointed out that I, too, am a professor and that my partner in the rebuttal was a prize-winning photojournalist, but that appeals to authority are a fallacy of logic in any case. She seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.

[netmilsmom]

I love your tagline!
I want my daughter to be like you when they grow up.
Only female of course.

[RightWhale]

He is a trusted insider, an embedded reporter, the Howard Cosell of spaceflight.

Another one is Richard C Hoagland. He could have been a space journalism contenda, but he chose a different school.

[netmilsmom]

Wow! That is scary...

I used the radiation ring (of course I am NOT a rocket scientist and don't remember what it was called). I said how come the shuttle astronauts go through it just fine?
There were a few others, but I just laughed at the whole show...

[Dimensio]

*shifts eyes back and forth rapidly*

You're all in on it! Everyone's involved!